Esther Görnemann: Ownership of personal data

Personal data are not legally defined as property. Yet, the markets for consumer profiles with detailed data points are flourishing and personal data is often referred to as the currency that pays for digital products and services. The amassed information about consumers has become a valuable asset for many businesses.

This session will focus on similarities and differences of legal property and data possession and shed light on arguments supporting and rejecting legal ownership of personal data. We will have a look at the legal status quo according to the GDPR and try to draw the line between intellectual property and data protection and discuss some major ethical concerns.